أَبى الدَمعُ أَن يُشفى بِهِ هَمُّ هائِمِ

وَلا رِيَّ إِلّا الرَشفُ مِن ظَلمِ ظالِمِ

My tears refused to heal the sorrows of the love-struck one,

And there is no relief except the gulps from the injustice of the unjust one.

يَضيمُ اِصطباري مَن يَعِزُّ بِبُعدِهِ

مَنامي فَوا لَهفي عَلى ضَيمِ ضائِمِ

My patience is tested by the one whose distance brings anguish,

My sleep, so my longing for the oppression of the oppressor.

أَشمُّ ثَراها أَو أَشيمُ بُروقَها

فَلَم يَخلُ رَبعُ الحُبِّ مِن شمِّ شائِمِ

I can smell its traces or sense its lightnings,

So the abode of love was never void of the smell of the critic.

وَلَو ساجَلَت غُرُّ الغَمائِمِ أَدمُعي

تَبَيَّنَ عَن قُربٍ غُرورُ الغَمائِمِ

Had my tears debated the arrogance of the clouds,

The deception of the clouds would have been uncovered up close.

أَلا سُقِيَت تِلكَ المَعالِمُ دَعوَةً

عَنَتني فَإِنّي بَعضُ تِلكَ المَعالِمِ

Oh if only those landmarks were watered with a prayer,

For I am a part of those landmarks that suffered.

عَزيزٌ عَلَينا أَن عَطَلنَ وَعِندَنا

ذَخائِرُ مِن دُرِّ الدُموعِ السَواجِمِ

It is hard for us that he delayed though we had

Treasures of tears of downpour.

أَتَعجَبُ وَالواشي تَهُبُّ رِياحُهُ

لِمَيلِ غُصونٍ كَالغُصونِ النَواعِمِ

And I wonder—and the night wind blows gently—

At the leaning of branches as soft as the delicate branches.

أَقولُ إِذا ما صارَمَ القَطرُ قُطرَها

تُرى رَشَفَت سُحبَ السَماءِ سَمائِمي

I say, when the raindrops pitter-pattered,

You’d think the clouds of sky leaked my poems.

وَلي زَفَراتٌ نَمنَمَ الخَدَّ دَمعُها

وَنَمَّت بِأَسرارِ الحَشا وَالحَيازِمِ

And I have sighs—their tears moistened my cheek—

And they slept with the secrets of night talk and battlefields.

حَنانيكَ إِنَّ الحُسنَ عاذِلُ عاذِلي

وَعاذِرُ أَشجاني وَلائِمُ لائِمي

Your affection—for beauty is hurtful to the hurt

And hurtful to my passions and blaming of the blamer.

عَلى غَيرِ آسٍ قَد نَبَستَ بِسَلوَةٍ

وَزوحِمتُ مِن وَجدي بِأَلفِ مُزاحِمِ

You walked without a staff, comfortably,

And I was squeezed by my love with a thousand jostlers.

رَأَوا أَلفَ بانٍ لا يَقومُ بِهادِمٍ

فَكَيفَ بِبانِ خَلفَهُ أَلفُ هادِمِ

They saw a thousand buildings with no destroyer,

So how about a building followed by a thousand destroyers?

وَقَفتُ عَلَيهِ بَل بِهِ مُتَأَوِّداً

أُسائِلُ عَن عَهدٍ بِهِ مُتَقادِمِ

I stood by it—or rather became friendly with it—

Asking about an old covenant with it.

يُجيبُ صَدايَ الرَبعُ لا ما تَظُنُّهُ

بِرَغمِ خَواهُ مِن جَوابِ الحَمائِمِ

The horizon answers me, though not what I think,

Despite the will of the doves against answering the doves.

أَرى طَيفَكُم كالحَظِّ في الدَهرِ ما لَهُ

سُرىً أَبَداً إِلّا إلى عَينِ نائِمِ

I see your specter in life like fortune—it has

No constant path except to the eye of a sleeper.

وَلِلَهِ ذَاكَ الدَوحُ وَالنَوحُ سُحرَةً

وَما ثَمَّ مِن شَجوٍ بِهِ وَمَآتِمِ

By God, that sorrow and wailing are magic,

And nothing of grief remains in them and darkness.

أُعيذُ لِسانَ الغَيثِ إِنَّ بِوَعدِهِ

تُشَقُّ بهِ وَجداً جُيوبُ الكَمائِمِ

I seek refuge for the tongue of rain, for with its promise

The collars of repression are ripped open.

فَتِلك بِشِعبٍ جَنَّةُ الأَرضِ جُنَّةٌ

فَلاحَ يَمينُ الحَقِّ إِحدى التَمائِمِ

For by a wadi, the land’s garden is paradise,

So the right hand of truth became one of the flags.

وَجالَت خُيولُ الصُبحِ في عِثيَرِ الدُجى

وَقَد ظَفِرَت مِن أَنجُمٍ بِغَنائِمِ

And the steeds of dawn paraded in the thick of darkness,

And were victorious, capturing some stars.

فَيا رَحمَتا لِلَّيلِ مِن نورِ صُبحِهِ

وَيا رَحمَتا لِلصُبحِ مِن نورِ قاسِمِ

So oh what a mercy the light of its dawn is for the night,

And oh what a mercy its light is for the dawn of Qasim.

وَلَمّا شَقَقنا الحُجبَ عَن نورِ وَجهِهِ

شَقَقنا عَلى عاتٍ مِنَ الدَهرِ عاتِمِ

And when we parted the veils from the light of his face,

We ripped open a dark time from the times of darkness.

لِقاءٌ بِهِ إِلقاؤُنا لِعَصا السُرى

وَعِتقُ عِتاقِ الناجِياتِ الرَواسِمِ

A meeting with him is our casting off the staff of blight,

And freeing the free women from the marked ones.

وَدارٍ حَكَت لِلعَينِ أَنوارَ كَعبَةٍ

وَضَمَّت مِنَ العافينَ جَمعَ مَواسِمِ

And a house that narrated to the eye the lights of Kaaba,

And gathered in it the wholesome from every season.

وَقَد كُنتُ ذا نُطقٍ مِنَ الدَهرِ مُفحَمٍ

كَما كُنتُ ذا صُبحٍ مِنَ الهَمِّ فاحِمِ

And I had been—from time—of suppressed speech,

As I was, from worry, of a blazing morning.

فَقُد كَيفَما شِئتَ السَعادَةَ تَتَّبِع

وَغَيرُكَ لا يَقتادُها بِالشَكائِمِ

So however you choose fortune, it will follow you,

While others cannot lead it with wrangling.

وَأَنتَ مِنَ الأَيّامِ تَقضي بِخاتَمٍ

وَأَنتَ مِنَ الأَيّامِ تَدعو بِخادِمِ

You judge the days with a ring,

You call upon the days with a servant.

وَحَسبُكَ سَيفُ الجدِّ لا الحَدِّ ضارِباً

فَلا فَرقَ ما بَينَ الظُبا وَالعَزائِمِ

The sword of virtue—not boundary—striking is enough for you.

So no difference between gazelle and resolute ones.

فَلا زِلتَ تَسطو مِن ظُباً بِصَواعِقٍ

تُصَرِّفُها مِن كَفِّكُم بِغَمائِمِ

You still conquer some gazelles gently with bolts

That you direct from your palm with clouds.

نَزَلتُ مِنَ الدُنيا بِحاتِمِ وَقتِها

وَكانَ النَدى حَتماً عَلى يَدِ حاتِمِ

They denied the smile of a rising light from it—

Its disliked things are forgiven for the generous.

لَكَ السَيفُ لَمّا أَن تَأَلَّقَ نَجمُهُ

قَضى اللَهُ أَلا يَعتَلي نَجمُ ناجِمِ

For war, he prepared the potency of a conquering one,

And deployed for spreading peace, the adornment of a wise one.

وَقَد رَجَّموا فيهِم وَما رُدَّ مارِدٌ

يَصُبُّ عَلى مَن بَيضُهُ شُهبَ راجِمِ

The prince of nights is continuously new and fleeting,

And the distress of enemies is ancient and imminent.

فَجاءوا بِأَسلابٍ إِلى يَدِ قاسِمٍ

وَفاءوا بِأَصلابٍ إِلى أَيدِ قاصِمِ

So enemies did not distance from us—its gain

Is to implement a decree from war that persists.

بِمَوقِفِ حُكمٍ في الرِقابِ شَهادَةٌ

تُؤَدّى إِلى خَصمٍ مِنَ السَيفِ حاكِمِ

It has flair—or rather an Arabic flair—

Many eloquent ones never saw the abode of dwellers.

وَما في صُدورِ الزغفِ غَيرُ وَدائِعٍ

وَلا في ظُهورِ الخَيلِ غَيرُ غَنائِمِ

Frank as you called the faltering of feeble,

Decisive as you called the leap of resolute.

وَتَعرفُ وَجهَ النَصرِ مِن وَجهِ نَصلِهِ

إِذا سَلَّهُ وَالضَربُ ضَربَةُ لازِمِ

I pass the night with the water of nature, watering its iron

To imprint it in the dawn as one of the cutting swords.

وَيَلقى العِدا مِنهُ تَوَقُّدُ باسِلٍ

يُمازِجُهُ مِنهُ تَوَقُّدُ باسِمِ

And I gave it—for hearing—the bashfulness of downpour,

And I granted it—for nature—the potency of protector.

فَكَم أَنكَروا مِنهُ تَبَسُّمَ طَلعَةٍ

مَكارِهُها مَغفورَةٌ لِلمَكارِمِ

And I read in your eyes the translation of love,

And the solution of the translator is the solution of translators.

أَعَدَّ لِجَمعِ الحَربِ ضَغمَةَ فاتِكٍ

وَسَرّى لِنَشرِ السَلمِ حِليَةَ حازِمِ

What delighted him from us—for it he has the thanks of a squanderer,

And what delighted us from him—for it we have the righteousness of a concealer.

أَميرُ اللَيالي مِن جَديدٍ وَذاهِبٍ

وَكَربُ الأَعادي مِن قَديمٍ وَقادِمِ

I have, for today’s union, the joy of a winner,

And I have, for yesterday’s separation, the sorrow of a regretter.

فَلا بَعُدَت عَنّا العِدا إِنَّ رِبحَهُ

لِتَحصيلِ مَرسومٍ مِنَ الحَربِ قائِمِ

It watered the garden when it let the discourse of doves flow,

So it let water flow from crying eyelids.

لَها خَلَّةٌ بَل حُلَّةٌ عَرَبِيَّةٌ

وَرُبَّ فَصيحٍ ما رَأى دارَ دارِمِ

I will borrow a pearl from the singing of passions,

And I fulfilled a pearl from the crying of downpours.

وَطَلقٌ كَما اِستَدَرَيتَ هَزَّةَ ذابِلٍ

وَجَزلٌ كَما اِستَدعَيتَ وَثبَةَ صارِمِ

The intended meaning can be unknown by its words

If the thought of a learned one does not turn it over.

وَبِتُّ بِماءِ الطَبعِ أَسقي حَديدَها

لِأَطبَعَها في الصُبحِ إِحدى الصَوارِمِ

He says—and the traces of eyes are in his heart—

A slain lover or slain in battles.

وَأَعطَيتُها لِلسَمعِ حِشمَةَ مُورِدٍ

وَعاطَيتُها لِلطَبعِ غُلَّةَ حائِمِ

For gazelles meet necks gently,

So are they gentle at the strike, gentleness of merciful?

وَأَقرَأُ في عَينَيكَ تَرجَمَةَ الهوى

وَحَلُّ وِكاءِ العَينِ حَلُّ التَراجِمِ

And I aim to violate prohibitions, intending

To other violations, violations of some prohibitions.

وَأَعجَبَهُ مِنّا لَهُ شُكرُ بائِحٍ

وَأَعَجبَنا مِنهُ لَنا بِرُّ كاتِمِ

Our peace ruled that no disgrace will be after it,

And drawing swords rules with drawing swords.

وَبي لِوِصالِ اليَومِ غِبطَةُ رابِحٍ

وَبي لفِراقِ الأَمسِ حَسرَةُ نادِمِ

It is enough for you that the sword has no benefit if

It does not connect its drawing with resolute.

سَقى الرَوضَ إِذ أَجرى حَديثَ حَمائِمِ

فَأَجرَينَ ماءً مِن جُفونٍ حَوائِمِ

So stand without being ordered by my order, for I—

And far be it from you— complain today of helpers of crime.

لَأَقرَضنَ دُرّاً مِن غِناءِ سَواجِعٍ

فَوَفَّيتُ دُرّاً مِن بُكاءِ سَواجِمِ

Without steering fate, an excuse letter,

And it has no one except the will of determined.

وَقَد يَجهَلُ المعنى المُعَنَّى بِلَفظِهِ

إِذا لَم يُقَلِّب فيهِ فِكرَةَ عالِمِ

I called you when great calamity tortured me,

And the like of you is not called except for the greatest matters.

يَقولُ وَآثارُ العُيونِ بِقَلبِهِ

صَريعُ مِلاحٍ أَو صَريعُ مَلاحِمِ

He did best when I did worst and his worry

Was with the honor of oppressed and humiliation of unjust.

فَإِنَّ الظُبا تَلقى الرِقابَ بِرِقَّةٍ

فَهَل هِيَ عِندَ الضَربِ رِقَّةُ راحِمِ

For us is the most righteous of people, veiling my sin,

And I came to him appealing with crimes.

وَأَعتَدُّ غِشيانَ المَحارِمِ قاصِداً

إِلى غَيرِهِ غِشيانَ بَعضِ المَحارِمِ

If the night of neglect darkened in the heart,

Then your bright stars of virtues increased in clarity.

قَضى سَلمُنا أَن لا سَخيمَةَ بَعدَها

وَسَلُّ الظُبا يَقضي بِسَلِّ السَخائِمِ

A position with the taste of honey in the mouth of taster,

And meaning like the scent of musk in the nose of smeller.

وَيَكفيكَ أَنَّ السَيفَ لا نَفعَ عِندَهُ

إِذا هُوَ لَم يوصَل ظُباهُ بِقائِمِ

You caught it while time vanishes the vanquisher,

And you reached it while blasphemy perishes the perisher.

فَقُم غَيرَ مَأمورٍ بِأَمري فَإِنَّني

وَحاشاكَ أَشكو اليَومَ أَعوانَ عارِمِ

You relieved it while the sword is like its enemy,

So is there a strike from it other than peaceful?

وَمِن دونِ تَصريفِ المُنى حَرفُ عِلَّةٍ

وَلَيسَ لَها إلّا عَزيمَةُ جازِمِ

Oh home, our days have no blemishes near you,

Nor do our passions have pretenses.

دَعَوتُكَ لَمّا أَن عَنَتني عَظيمَةٌ

وَمِثلُكَ لا يُدعى لِغَيرِ العَظائِمِ

And here are my tears in you from a diffusing eye,

And here is my poem in you from a compiling mouth.

وَأَحسَنَ لَمّا أَن أَسَأتُ وَهَمُّهُ

بِعِزَّةِ مَظلومٍ وَإِذلالِ ظالِمِ

I rightfully have the wailing, not metaphorically, in its wadi,

And the rhyming of verses is other than the rhyming of doves.

لَنا بِأَبَرِّ الناسِ ساتِرِ زَلَّتي

وَقَد جِئتُهُ مُستَشفِعاً بِالجَرائِمِ

إِذا أَظلَمَت في القَلبِ لَيلَةُ هَفوَةٍ

فَزادَت وُضوحاً مِنكَ شُهبُ المَكارِمِ

مَقامٌ كَطَعمِ الشَهدِ في فَمِ ذائِقٍ

وَمَعنىً كَنَفحِ المِسكِ في أَنفِ ناسِمِ

تَدارَكتَها وَالدَهرُ غالِبُ غالِبٍ

وَأَدرَكتَها وَالكُفرُ هاشِمُ هاشِمِ

وَفَرَّجتَها وَالسَيفُ مِثلُ عَدُوِّهِ

فَهَل فيهما مِن ضَربِهِ غَيرُ سالِمِ

فَيا دارُ ما أَيّامُنا بِذَمائِمٍ

لَدَيكَ وَلا أَشواقُنا بِرَمائِمِ

وَهَذي دُموعي فيكِ مِن عَينِ ناثِرٍ

وَهَذا قَريضي فيكِ مِن فَمِ ناظِمِ

لِيَ النَوحُ حَقّاً لا مَجازاً بِرَبعِها

وَسَجعُ القَوافي غَيرُ سَجعِ الحَمائِمِ